# Cohiba… something doesn’t look right



## Wheels Up (Jun 13, 2019)

Ahoy!

I decided to take a walk on this side of the tracks today and before I lit my selection, something caught my eye… which prompted me to take a second look at all of my Cohibas. I thought I knew Cohiba bands, but the more I look at these and consider the sources, the more confused I’m getting.

I obtained all of these from sources I believed to be reputable at the time. They may still be- I don’t know.

Trying to decide now which, if any of them, I should cut open for science or continue to rest.

Details with pictures in the posts below.


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## Wheels Up (Jun 13, 2019)

These five Siglos (I think they’re Siglo II) I purchased in-person as singles from LCdH Cancun in November 2021. I’ll be honest that I didn’t look too closely at the time of purchase because I assumed that an LCdH would be a reasonable place to find real Cohibas.

All bands show holographic head even though it’s difficult to see in pictures. What caught my eye is the variation of the placement of the top row of white squares and the different length of bands on five of the same size cigars.

I have not smoked any of these yet. Haven’t even looked at them since I put them in the humidor.
























































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## Wheels Up (Jun 13, 2019)

This Siglo (I think it’s a III or IV) was a gift from someone I don’t believe would have fakes in his stash and knows Cuban cigars. If it is a fake, I am absolutely certain this person was unaware and would be appalled to hear it.

What looks weird to me on this one is the shifted gold Taino head. Looks slightly shifted to the right. Maybe that’s normal- I don’t know. Again, the holographic head is visible to the naked eye, but doesn’t show up well in pictures.

Alignment of white squares is uniform all the way around the band.











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## Humphrey's Ghost (Dec 27, 2016)

You used to be able to define counterfeits by the precise spacing and printing of the bands, but I had the same issue with some pyramides extras and discussed it with Bob
His conclusion was that the details have just gotten a lot sloppier in Cuba in the last few years and they aren’t as precise as they once were
I smoked mine and they were great, but I will let Bob or Jack weigh in here for a definitive answer


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## Wheels Up (Jun 13, 2019)

This Maduro 5 I personally pulled out of a bin at one of the factories in Havana in 2018. Aside from a slightly wonky cap, what drew my attention is the misalignment of the band and the slight difference in white squares at both ends of the band. This one I am least inclined to be fake because I can vouch for exactly where it came from. But I suppose anything is possible.

I’ve been letting it sit and plan to let it sit for several more years in the name of aging experimentation. I bought several at the same time and all of them I smoked had the flavor of possum grits. (I don’t like possum)



















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## Humphrey's Ghost (Dec 27, 2016)

Just further illustrates the point, but come on man, I gotta get me some possum cigars


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

Cuba doesn’t have power in it’s biggest cities for a few hours every day. In some of the rural areas the power is off more than on. 
The basic infrastructure is crumbling.
We don’t know for sure, but my guess is that Cuba is producing barely half of the cigars that they used to. They have real shortages, particularly of fertilizer. 
Quality control, which has always been haphazard is a real mess now.
Nobody in HSA cares about the cigar bands.
Buy the seller, not the cigar. The trusted retailers won’t sell fakes. But there will probably be more problems with construction issues, like we saw around 1999-2001.


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

I wouldn't disagree with @bpegler, and it certainly could just be lax QC.
That said, I wouldn't trust even an LCdH in a Mexican tourist hot-spot like Cancun.
Even if the owners of the shop are honest, it doesn't mean their employees are.

*This is not meant as an indictment of Mexicans in general. Only a reflection of my own experiences with a certain element that preys on "******" (American tourist) dollars down there. (Edit: Who knew the Spanish word g-r-i-n-g-o was a prohibited term? LOL)

I've spent a good bit of time in the Yucatan, but I avoid Cancun like the plague. Likewise Playa del Carmen (except to catch the ferry). Akumal is/was more my cup of tea, though I haven't been in a few years, so who knows if it's still the same. Cozumel is okay if you're there strictly to dive, dive, dive. Oh, and I bring my own cigaros!


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

Bird-Dog said:


> I wouldn't disagree with @bpegler, and it certainly could just be lax QC.
> That said, I wouldn't trust even an LCdH in a Mexican tourist hot-spot like Cancun.
> Even if the owners of the shop are honest, it doesn't mean their employees are.
> 
> ...


Almost every single “Cuban” cigar in Cancún is fake. And really bad fakes at that. But I’ve been to the LCdH Cancun numerous times, and haven’t seen any fakes there. I believe that Reynaldo is rolling there now, since he left Havana. And I have spent some time talking with David the owner of the LCdH. He’s a character, but he knows cigars.
Their prices are prohibitive. 
As for diving Cozumel, I can remember when almost everyone there was a diver. No cruise ships. And the reefs were pristine. 


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## Wheels Up (Jun 13, 2019)

Bird-Dog said:


> Akumal is/was more my cup of tea, though I haven't been in a few years, so who knows if it's still the same.


The wife and I have been to Cancun and Cozumel several times and like them, but we went to Akumal last November for the first time and fell in love with it. No idea what it looked like in the past, but it’s still a very small town despite the resorts that are springing up.

Looking forward to being there again in about a week.


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

It appears that there has been a significant number of counterfeit Cohibas introduced in the market over the past couple of years. A fairly well known vendor (who I don’t use and can’t name here anyway) has been selling fake CoRos and Siglo VIs. Probably other fakes as well.
With prices as high as they are now, perhaps this was inevitable. 
So I will simply suggest that purchasing Cohibas right now is a very dicey proposition.
There are some interesting discussions about this on some forums that allow naming vendors. The research into this apparently took some months, and was just disclosed earlier today.
Be careful everyone.


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## Wheels Up (Jun 13, 2019)

I found that thread and read it. Thankfully, I’ve never used that vendor.

I’m going to assume that what I have are authentic and the QC is just slipping in the bands, but I don’t think I’ll be buying any more Cohibas from anywhere for a long while.


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## Humphrey's Ghost (Dec 27, 2016)

Yeah I have never used them either but apparently it is anybody that isn’t sourcing directly
Anybody sourcing second level distribution is going to be suspect at this point


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## Wheels Up (Jun 13, 2019)

Humphrey's Ghost said:


> …apparently it is anybody that isn’t sourcing directly


That’s what concerns me. I’ve only used one online vendor and I believe that vendor to be reputable. But it sounds like there are so many fakes getting thrown into supply lines because of the decreased authentic supply that it’s going to be nearly impossible to know the difference for a while- especially since weird bands are no longer a dead giveaway.

I’ll see if I can get some pictures of what’s inside the LCdH Cancun in a few days just for grins and giggles. If they have a huge selection of Cohibas still, I’m going to be suspicious. I’m just hoping I can snag a few more Vegueros… not that they also can’t be faked.


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